lashed parts of the midwest and south, heavy flooding, dangerous winds and monster tornadoes. look at these images north of atlanta. >> a funnel north of the interstate. >> reporter: a tornado with winds estimated over 120 miles per hour, demolished homes, office buildings and wiped out parts of a factory. >> it picked me up and flinged me three times. trying to get that door closed. >> i had to dig my way out. >> i thought it killed my son in the bedroom in there. and i thought it was going to kill me, too. >> reporter: the tornado left behind a junk yard of twisted semitrailers and tossed suvs. one person was killed in georgia. another death reported in tennessee. in parts of kentucky, severe storms packed with heavy winds, left behind a trail of destruction. >> it's out into the field. some of the people's belongings in here is also out here, too. >> our trailer lifts off the foundation. and went back down. i thank the good lord up above for saving us.

>> reporter: the storm brought high winds to texas, flash flooding in missouri. and in western michigan, a car plunged 20 feets into a creek, after heavy rain and snow melt caused flash flooding. >> the road flooded out. we're in the middle of a river right now. the car's completely underwater. help. >> reporter: in indiana, a storm knocked out power for thousands and destroyed dozens of homes. >> the winds were so fierce, it was throwing my car sideways. i didn't know if i was going to make it through or not. >> reporter: tahman bradley, abc news, washington. and that storm will finally wrap up this morning, clearing the way for some chilly air. >> accuweather meteorologist jim dickey tells us what we can expect. >> a powerful storm is tracking towards the coast bringing soaking rainfall on the i-95 car dor. you can expect blinding downpours, localized flash

flooding. the winds stay gusty, ushing in chilly air. watching the temps fall in the afternoon. we're talking 60 miles per hour, with winds sustained 20, 30 miles per hour through the day. back to you. >> thanks, jim. stay with us for "good morning america," as our extreme weather team brings you the latest on this violent storm. a look at the hard-hit towns from inside the storm zone. >> and another developing story this morning. a child hostage situation, playing out in rural alabama. dozens gathered at a church near the scene last night, praying for some kind of peaceful resolution to all of this. here is the latest as we know it. a 5-year-old boy is being held in an underground bunker by a 65-year-old man named jimmy. this happened before the man killed the bus driver. the investigators had been talking to him. and the boy has received the medicine he receives regularly.

the bunker has electricity and tv. there was strong system about gun violence at a meeting in newtown, connecticut. it took place at newtown high school last night. parents whose children were killed in the sandy hook massacre used the hearing to demand stricter state gun laws. lawmakers also heard from newtown residents who spoke against more restrictions on gun owners. on capitol hill, shooting victim and former congresswoman, gabby giffords, was helped into a hearing by her husband, mark kelly. it was a powerful call for congressional action. giffords demanded lawmakers do something, despite the opposition. >> too many children are dying. too many children. it will be hard. but the time is now.

you must act. be bold, be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> and then, kelly called for better background checks for all gun sales. wayne lapierre of the national rifle association says background checks aren't the answer because criminals buying guns don't use them. there's new momentum towards immigration reform. a bipartisan group from the house is working on legislation similar to proposals by senate negotiators and president obama. the groundbreaking measure could be unveiled within a matter of days. president obama says he would like the whole process wrapped up in six months. >> it's been too long since we reformed the system. and we're starting to see a bipartisan consensus build around this. >> florida lawmaker mario diaz

has seen a sea change on the issue on both sides. senator kerry's seat has been moved on since he moved on to secretary of state. william mo cohen. cohen will be on the job until a special election in june. it's the first time in history there will be two african-americans serving in the senate. the other is tim scott of south carolina. and congress is expected to hold another so-called bipartisan date night when the president delivers the state of the union address next month. for the third-straight year dozens of lawmakers plan to break tradition by sitting with members of the opposing party. it's all to symbolize the importance of working together. >> i'm sure that's not awkward at all. all right. coming up after the break, the man behind the manti te'o hoax. he comes clean in a very big way. >> yes. plus, the developing story about the power of computer

hackers. a major newspaper battles a major cyber threat. and wrong place, wrong time. created quite a wild ride.

welcome back, everybody. the dow jones industrial average still has not hit that coveted 14,000 mark. in fact, it actually lost ground yesterday, thanks to some disappointing economic news. the dow fell 44 points yesterday. the nasdaq index was off 11. more than 40% of american households are just one emergency away from financial ruin. they don't have enough savings to cover basic living expenses

for just three months. almost one-third of us have no savings account at all. the study also found that many people are living check-to-check. one reason, high credit card debt. it's going to be harder for gun owners to get ammunition. walmart is limiting sales of ammo for three boxes per customer per day. the largest gun seller says supplies are limited because demand has risen since the connecticut school shooting. a major newspaper is the victim of cyber retaliation for news reporting. "the new york times" says chinese hackers have been infiltrating its computer systems for the past four months, even getting the passwords of reporters and other employees. the attacks came after "the times" published the story on how relatives of china's prime minister have become very wealthy. it's a makeover for the blackberry with a nod to the iphone. not only are their new phones

running a new operating system. but the company that makes them has changed its name to blackberry. it has a new global creative director, alicia keys. she admits she broke up with the blackberry for a while. the company will have an uphill battle to regain its prominence. and there's no change at the top for the most popular breed of dog. the american kennel club says it's the labrador retriever for the 22nd year in a row. labs are versatile, they're great company. great with families. but they also work in law enforcement, search and rescue and hunting. and also, they're also very cute. >> you're a cat person. >> i have three dogs. and i had a cat, too. >> a lot of animals. >> i'm an animal person. when me and dr. doolittle come back on this thursday morning, behind the hoax. the man who pretended to be

manti te'o's girlfriend. now, he's revealing his true feelings for the football superstar. and the man who says he's sorry for injuring oprah. [ elh or have lemon in my water... e eat tomato sauce on my spaghetti. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job. okay, we gotta time this just right. okay. ready... happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] the charmed memories collection at kay -- the number one jewelry store in america. ready... [ camera flash ] ♪ every kiss begins with kay pediatrician recommended pain reliever for children.

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but as soon as they tasted blonde roast, boy they were on board. ♪ another look, now, at the sheer power of those killer storms that swept over a big section of the country. the winds were so strong, they derailed this moving freight train in missouri, knocking over 50 cars. no one was hurt. but 800 feet of track will have to be replaced. now, for a look at your morning road conditions on this thursday. windy with flooding from d.c. up to boston. snow-covered roads in western new york, pennsylvania and michigan. a snowy commute around the ski resorts in the rockies. and pretty slick in the pacific northwest. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in washington, d.c., philly, new york and boston. now, we turn to another developing story this morning. the search for a 70-year-old man

considered armed and dangerous. >> one person has been killed and two others wounded yesterday when the suspect, arthur harmon, allegedly opened fire at a law firm in arizona. they say he took off in a white rental car. in san diego, a massive explosion sent hotel guests running for cover. police say a couple in one of the rooms was processing drugs, which apparently caused the blast. the man was critically burned in the explosion. and the woman was less seriously injured. a fire department spokesman compared the damage to a war zone. caught on camera. a woman in ohio who was not happy about riding in the back of a police car wanted out in the worst way. video shows her kicks out a window and showering a police officer with glass. she was arrested for allegedly

punching and biting her mother. police say she was drunk at the time. president obama and the first lady are praying for the family of a chicago teenager killed in gun violence. 15-year-old hadeya pendleton had attended the inauguration. she was killed tuesday, when a gunman fired into a crowd of students. the police chief in chicago is vowing to find the killer. one more twist to the fake girlfriend hoax involving college football star manti te'o. in an interview airing today, the man behind the hoax, ronaiah tuiasosopo makes a revelation. he tells dr. phil he believes he may be gay and created the nonexistent girlfriend because he fell in love with te'o. he explains why he ended the relationship. >> i finally realized, i had to move on with my life. and had to get my -- i had to start just living and let this

go. >> te'o has denied any role in the hoax. >> that story just keeps getting stranger. tyler perry is apologizing after oprah hurt her back lifting a huge flower arrangement he had delivered to her. writing on his facebook page, perry said he sent the flowers for oprah's birthday. but apparently the talk show titan did not use the proper posture in lifting them and strained her back. perry says next birthday, he's just going to send a single rose. . and ron jeremy is in sensitive care this morning at a hospital in l.a. the 59-year-old jeremy suffered an aneurysm near his heart he has appeared in 2,000 adult films. the 49ers and the ravens are reporting no serious injuries to their players ahead of sunday's super bowl in new orleans. as for last night's nba hoops, we get the highlights from espn.

>> doug kezirian here with your "sportscenter" update. we start with the biggest soap opera in the nba. steve nash, returning to phoenix for the first time in a laker uniform. fourth quarter action, dwight howard. the rebound. but he injures his shoulder. he would not return. final minute of the game. tied at 86-86. michael beasley, the lay-in in traffic. suns rally from a 13-point deficit in the fourth. now, on top. kobe bryant with a chance to tie. the lakers and their three-game win streak over as steve smash loses in his return to phoenix. heat visiting the nets. a little war of words before the game between reggie evans and lebron james. as for the action, lebron sticks the three. second quarter, nets trailing by 11. andray blatche, thousands it down. this game would be tied at half, despite the heat going up 12 on

dwyane wade's lefty floater. third quarter action. all heat in the third. lebron for the rack. more from wade, now. miami outscored brooklyn 36-14 in the third. fourth quarter is a blowout. lebron on the wing. steps back. he scored at least 20 against the nets for the 20th-straight time. only other player to do that is michael jordan. i'm doug kezirian. have a great day. the high schooler you're about to see is not heading straight to the nba. but by his own admission, he's a pretty good player. >> check out ben gerard from burrowville high school. he threw in that full-court shot on tuesday. and for that, he was named player of the game. >> certainly worthy of that. love to see that. look at that. threw a bomb. "the pulse" is coming up next this morning, with video you won't forget including an

on-the-court collision, that looked pretty painful with that mascot. and why did the woman cross the road? she's probably asking the same question. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. do not drive or operate machinery

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time to check "the pulse" this morning. some of the best video you're going to see all morning, starting with a canadian college student getting the ride of her life. >> yes. the young woman was trying to cross the street near mcgill university in montreal, when a water main suddenly broke. you can see her there trying to stay on her feet. but the raging water was too much. it slipped her downhill like a

water slide. >> the student not injured. but her pride, a little hurt. that has already gotten 18,000 hits on youtube. that looks a little fun. can you tell march madness is getting closer and closer? it sure looks like seeing these videos. >> check out rocky the mascot, from western illinois university. running into that flipping cheerleader. rocky tried to be cool about what happened, during push-ups and other exercises after the collision. >> rooky looks like he got taken out. then this, a youngster runs on to the court last night interrupting the game between the oklahoma sooners and the baylor bears. he's a baylor fan. unfortunately for him, though, the bears lost. during a break in the action, the kid was allowed to slam dunk a ball into a junior-sized basket. >> enthusiasm of the young. we like that. a squirmy baby proved quite

the challenge for doctors in an exam in san diego. it took three sets of hands to measure and examine this giant panda cub, who was interested in playing around. >> at 20 pounds, the cub is on schedule for weight gain. and they say he's gaining a lot of muscle in his back legs from all that climbing. and he showed off new teeth. >> cute little fella there. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, when "america this morning" continues in just a second, a mom and dad who say they'd be proud even if their sons weren't coaching in sunday's big super bowl. >> but it's pretty cool that they are. >> yes, indeed. stay with us. let's go. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the all-new cadillac xts...

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news this. we have the bay lights display being tested again this morning, so off to a gorgeous start. i am kristen sze. >> i am eric thomas.

>> that is the gorgeous part of the commute but no so pretty in south bay. >> sig-alert in sunnyvale. sue? >> good morning, everyone. fuel spilled on the road beyond fair oaks northbound wrote we only one lane, the right lane is getting by. c.h.p. may have to close that off. a big rig hit the median. there is debris in the lanes. there is a fuel spill. a sig-alert is issued north 101. our app shows the slow traffic in the northbound direction. we will follow this today. this is in sunnyvale. >> good morning, everyone. live doppler 7 hd shows you how clear it is. lack of clouds in most areas. they are offshore because of the land breeze.

it is pushing them over the ocean. we have fog over the north bay. temperatures are cooler this morning. you can see mid-to-upper 30's inland and low-to-mid 40's around the bay shore. san francisco is the warm spot at 49. this afternoon, it will be warmer than yesterday. we will have temperatures hanging out in 61 along the coast to near 70 around the bay and inland. kristen? >> this morning, a san francisco 49er player will apologize publicly in new orleans and explain his controversial comments on the idea of a gay teammate in the locker room. our news reporter is live at the niners stadium in santa clara. he has made one apology, right? >> that was a written statement. now he will actually give a press conference and he will not talk about his team's big glorious moment. he has to talk about the antigay statements he made. culliver is a defensive back.

he commented this in a radio interview on tuesday on media day. he is apologizing. so is the team who says there is no room for discrimination and the 49ers have repeated that. here is culliver on the radio. >> what about gay guys? >> i don't do the gay guys. >> any on the 49ers? >> no gay people on the team. they got to get out of here. no room for gays. >> the 49ers say they have dealt with what happened but they would not say what action they have taken. if he will face disciplinary action. he also issued his own statement from culliver, he says "the derogatory comments i made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head but they are not how i feel, it has taken me seeing them in print to realize they are hurtful and ugly." culliver also apologized and